Join us for a free community seed swap with workshops on seed saving!
February 24, 11 am - 3 pm at Cornell Cooperative Extension, 615 Willow Ave, Ithaca
Seed swaps are an increasingly popular way for gardeners to get interesting seeds to try in their gardens. Please bring your own home-saved seeds to share or even purchased seeds that you may have in surplus.
If you don't have any seeds to swap that's ok too! Take some seeds and attend one of the free workshops on seed saving, then you will have your own seeds to swap at the next Seedy Sunday which will take place in the fall. (Scroll down to see the workshops schedule)
WORKSHOP SCHEDULE
11:00 am - 11:30 am - Screening of the film
Seeds of Freedom, featuring environmental activist Vandana Shiva.
The film charts
the story of seed from its roots at the heart of traditional,
diversity-rich farming systems across the world, to being transformed
into a powerful commodity, used to monopolize the global food system.
Seeds of Freedom
seeks to challenge the idea that large-scale, industrial agriculture is
the only means by which we can feed the world. In tracking the story of
seed it becomes clear how the corporate agenda has driven the takeover
of seed in order to make vast profit and control of the global
food system.
11:30 am - 12:15 pm: Seed Saving for Beginners (and children!) - Learn
the basics of getting started with seed saving and get some hands-on
experience in seed cleaning. This workshop will empower you to start
saving your own seeds this year! Learn how to make Magic Seed Wands for
children, and how to construct seed cleaning tools from recycled
materials. Presented by Sean Dembrosky of Edible Acres
http://www.edibleacres.org/index.htm
12:30 pm - 1:15 pm: Advanced Seed Saving and Selection Techniques -We've
all seen tomato blossoms turning to seed-laden fruits, but have you
ever seen a parsnip or carrot plant blossom and go to seed? Come learn
about biennial life cycles of root crops and the art and science (mostly
the former!) of growing them on to the seed-producing stage. Learn
about selection, overwintering of the first year roots, replanting in
spring, flowering, seed harvesting and drying. Bring any and all
questions related to seed and feel free to share what you've learned
from your garden, as well! Presented by Petra Page-Mann of Fruition
Seeds
http://fruitionseeds.com/
1:30 pm - 2:15 pm: Restrictions on Saving Seed in the EU - In
the US, we are very fortunate that there currently are no restrictions
on saving seed to sell or share with others. However, in the European
Union, it's a vastly different situation, with prohibitive registration
fees and tight controls over who is allowed to produce seed. Much of
this legislation has been driven by the multi-national agriculture
companies in order to protect their profits and this has spurred a
lively resistance movement in the EU for "Seed Sovereignty". Presented
by Chrys Gardener, CCE staff and former manager of the Irish Seed Savers
Association
http://www.irishseedsavers.ie/
2:30 pm - 3:00 pm: Roundtable Discussion on Seed Saving - Join
us for an open discussion on seed saving techniques and anything else
to do with seeds! All are welcome to bring questions, tips, and ideas.
Discussion leaders include experienced seed savers Tim Springston of
Oxbow Farm
http://www.farmhack.net/wiki/oxbow-farm, Petra Mann-Page and Matthew Goldfarb of Fruition Seeds
http://fruitionseeds.com/, and Chrys Gardener, CCE staff.
